Method and arrangement for manufacturing a graphene film

ABSTRACT

According a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an arrangement for manufacturing a roll of graphene. The arrangement comprises a supply reel configured to hold a strip of graphene film; a winding reel configured to wind a strip of graphene film into a roll of graphene film; a motor controlling the winding reel; and a dispenser configured to dispense a fluid adhesive on a graphene film running from the supply reel to the winding reel. There is also provided a method form manufacturing a graphene film using sing the described arrangement, where the method comprises cutting the manufactures graphene roll into sheets of graphene film.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to method and arrangement formanufacturing a graphene film. In particular, the present inventionrelates to method and arrangement for manufacturing graphene filmcomprising vertically aligned graphene.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With the continuous development of modern electronics devices andsystems, their increasing power densities have caused higher operatingtemperature. Therefore, effective thermal management is becomingextremely crucial to remove the large amount of heat required forensuring high performance and long lifetime reliability. Thermalconductivity of traditional TIMs, a very important element for heatdissipation, are often less than max 20 W/mK, usually around 4 or 5 W/mKin vertical directions. Great efforts have hence been made to develophigh performance TIMs based on carbon materials (e.g., graphitenano-platelets, carbon nanotubes and carbon fibers) in order to solvethis problem.

A considerable number of studies have been devoted to increase theirthermal conductivity by increasing the graphene loading in graphenebased thermally conductive adhesives. However, it is not practical forthe fabrication process when the graphene content is too high.

Graphene, a surprising allotrope of carbon which is comprised of onlyone layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice,exhibits a number of unique properties, such as ultrafast electronmobility, super high mechanical strength, and unusually superior thermalperformance (in-plane thermal conductivity=5000 W/mK). Besides, it isnecessary to arrange graphene into particular structures so as tofulfill diverse functionalities, especially application in electronicdevices.

For TIMs, high thermal conductivity in the vertical direction is needed.Therefore, it is essential to assemble graphene into a verticallyaligned architecture to facilitate heat dissipation in the normaldirection of contact solid interfaces. It is already reported to preparevertically aligned graphite film by compacting aligned graphite sheet.However, it's difficult to fabricate this type of material in anautomatic and cost-effective way.

Therefore, improved methods to vertically align graphene are desired toincrease the out-of-plane thermal conductivity (Vertical direction) ofTIMs.

SUMMARY

In view of above-mentioned and other drawbacks of the prior art, it isan object of the present invention to provide an arrangement and amethod facilitating large scale manufacturing of a film consisting ofvertically aligned graphene.

According a first aspect of the invention, there is provided anarrangement for manufacturing a roll of graphene. The arrangementcomprises a supply reel configured to hold a strip of graphene film; awinding reel configured to wind a strip of graphene film into a roll ofgraphene film; a motor controlling the winding reel; and a dispenserconfigured to dispense a fluid adhesive on a graphene film running fromthe supply reel to the winding reel.

The strip of graphene film used to form the roll of graphene may forexample be wound on the supply reel. However the graphene strip may alsobe provided as an elongated or bundled strip. Moreover, the graphenestrip is a strip of horizontally aligned graphene and the purpose of thedescribed arrangement is to prepare a roll of graphene for subsequentforming of sheets or films of vertically aligned graphene to be used asa thermal interface material (TIM).

The motor controlling the winding reel is advantageously a motor havinga controllable speed such that the rotational speed of the winding reelcan be controlled. The motor speed may be continuously or stepwisevariable. The motor speed may also be varied with respect to theincreasing diameter of the resulting graphene roll on the winding reelsuch that the propagation velocity of the graphene film between thesupply reel and the winding reel is constant.

The dispenser is configured to automatically dispense an adhesive onto agraphene film being fed from the supply reel to the winding reel bymeans of the motor. Moreover, the dispenser is advantageously arrangedabove the feeding path of the graphene strip such that a fluid adhesivecan be provided from the dispenser onto the graphene strip by means ofthe gravitational force. It is also possible to provide an adhesive bymeans of spray coating or spreading.

The present invention is based on the realization that an improvedmethod for manufacturing of a roll of graphene film can be achieved bymeans of the above described reel-to-reel arrangement where an adhesiveis automatically and controllably provided to the graphene strip priorto forming of the graphene roll. Thereby, the width of the graphenestrip, the thickness of the adhesive layer on the strip and thesubsequent thickness, i.e. the number of layers, of the finalizedgraphene roll can be configured to achieve a graphene roll with thedesired properties.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the arrangement mayfurther comprise a compression roller arranged adjacent to the windingreel, the compression roller being configured to compress a roll ofgraphene film on the between the compression roller and the windingreel. Accordingly, the compression roller I configured to press thegraphene strip between the roller and the already formed graphene roll.Thereby, the compression roller ensures that there are no air gaps inthe adhesive between consecutive layers of the graphene strip in theformed roll. Moreover, the pressure of the compression roller can becontrolled which in turn enables controlling the amount of adhesivelocated between the consecutive layers of the graphene strip, where anincreased pressure results in a decreased thickness of adhesive sincethe fluid adhesive will pressed out a the sides of the roll. Thecompression roller also ensures that the adhesive layer betweenconsecutive layers of the graphene strip is evenly distributed along thewidth of the strip.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the arrangement mayfurther comprise a blade arranged between the dispenser and the windingreel, the blade being configured to be arranged at a predetermineddistance from the graphene strip and further configured to removeexcessive adhesive from the graphene film. Thereby, the thickness andthe uniformity of the adhesive layer can be improved and controlled bycontrolling the position of the blade. The blade is advantageouslymovable in a vertical direction to enable the amount of adhesive to becontrolled.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the arrangement mayfurther comprise a support plate configured to support the graphene filmfor at least a portion of the distance between the supply reel and thewinding reel. The support plate may thus act to provide a morecontrolled path for the graphene strip. The support plate mayadvantageously be located at least at a portion of the distance betweenthe supply reel and the winding reel where the dispenser is located inorder to mechanically support the graphene strip when the adhesive isdispensed onto the strip. The support plate may further comprise a trackin which the graphene strip moves, thereby guiding the graphene strip.The track may comprise sidewalls protruding from the support plate. Thetrack may also be formed as a recess or a trench in the support plate inwhich the graphene film runs. Moreover, the track may advantageouslyhave an adjustable width to allow for manufacturing of graphene rolls ofdifferent width.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the support plate may betiltable. Moreover, the vertical position of the winding reel may becorrespondingly adjustable in relation to the vertical position of thesupply reel. A tilted support plate and a correspondingly controllablewinding reel can be used to control the tension of the graphene strip.The tension will in turn influence the properties of the resultinggraphene roll in that an increased tension may reduce the thickness ofthe adhesive layer between consecutive layers of the graphene strip ofthe graphene roll. An increased tension will result in a reducedthickness of the adhesive since more of the adhesive may be pressed outat the sides of the graphene roll. However, it should also be noted thata too high tension may cause the graphene strip to break.

According to one embodiment of the invention the dispenser mayadvantageously be a dispenser wheel further comprising a containersupplying an adhesive to the wheel. The adhesive will then be providedfrom the adhesive container to the dispenser wheel after which the wheelrotates to deposit the adhesive onto the graphene strip. The dispenserwheel may comprise compartments for receiving the adhesive from theadhesive container and for transporting the adhesive to the graphenestrip.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the dispenser wheel maycomprise protrusions in the form of cogs and/or vanes such that acompartment is formed between adjacent protrusions. The cogs and/orvanes thereby protrude from the wheel to form compartments in betweenadjacent protrusions such that the adhesive can be transported to thegraphene strip. The size of and distance between the protrusions can bedetermined and configured based on the properties of the adhesive, suchas the viscosity, and based on the desired thickness of the adhesive onthe graphene strip. The compartments may or may not comprise sidewalls.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the vanes may have atrapezoidal cross section such that a portion of the vane being locatedclosest to the wheel center is smaller than a portion of the vane beinglocated farthest from the wheel center. Thereby, a compartment moresuitable for transporting a low viscosity adhesive is provided comparedto a dispenser wheel having triangular cogs protruding from the wheel,which may be suitable for an adhesive having a high viscosity.

According to one embodiment of the invention the dispenser may beconfigured to make contact with the graphene film and to rotateaccording to a movement of the graphene film. Thereby, uniformdispensing of the adhesive can be achieved automatically irrespective ofthe feeding speed of the graphene strip. For large variations of thefeeding speed, it may be required to adjust the amount of adhesiveprovided from the adhesive container to the dispenser wheel. The amountof adhesive provided to the wheel from the adhesive container may forexample automatically controlled to be proportional to the rotationspeed of the dispenser wheel.

According to one embodiment of the invention the arrangement mayadvantageously comprise a motor arranged to control a rotation of thewheel dispenser. Thereby, the adhesive can be evenly dispensed withoutthe need for the dispenser wheel to make contact with the movinggraphene strip. The rotational speed of the dispenser wheel mayadvantageously be proportional to the feeding speed of the graphenestrip.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the winding reel maycomprises a pair of winding needles configured to hold the graphene filmand to form the center of the graphene roll, wherein each of the windingneedles has a rectangular or semi-circular cross section. To start thewinding of the graphene roll, the graphene strip is thus held betweenthe two opposing needles. For needles having a semi-circular crosssection, the flat side of the respective needle is facing each otherwith the graphene strip pressed therebetween. Using semi-circularneedles result in a circular cross section of the graphene roll.Correspondingly, using needles having a rectangular cross section willresult in a graphene roll having a rectangular cross section. Thereby,the cross section of the graphene roll can be controlled by controllingthe cross section of the needles.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod of manufacturing a graphene film comprising vertically alignedgraphene. The method comprises providing a strip of horizontally alignedgraphene arranged on a supply reel; arranging the strip of graphenebetween the supply reel and a winding reel; winding the strip ofgraphene from the supply reel onto the winding reel, forming a grapheneroll; dispensing an adhesive on the strip of graphene between the supplyreel and the winding reel; removing the graphene roll from the windingreel; solidifying the adhesive; cutting the graphene roll, forming agraphene film having a shape corresponding to the cross section of thegraphene roll.

The strip of horizontally aligned graphene is formed according to knownmethods and such strips or films are also commercially available. A rollof graphene is formed by arranging an adhesive on the graphene strip andby forming a roll of the strip. The adhesive is subsequently solidifiedin a heating step. To form a graphene film with vertically alignedgraphene, the graphene roll is cut, which for example may be done usinga blade cutting machine, a laser cutting machine or plasma cutter.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the method may furthercomprise controlling a ratio between graphene and adhesive in thegraphene roll. The volume ratio between adhesives and graphene in thegraphene roll may for example be 5:1, 4:1, 3:1, 2:1 or 1:1 based ondiverse application requirements or environmental features. The volumeratio changes the thermal management performance and the mechanics andstrength of vertical alignment graphene films.

According to one embodiment of the invention, controlling the ratiobetween graphene and adhesive in the graphene roll may comprisecontrolling the tension of the strip of graphene between the supplywheel and the winding reel.

According to one embodiment of the invention controlling the ratiobetween graphene and adhesive in the graphene roll may comprisecontrolling the amount of adhesive being dispensed per unit length ofthe graphene strip.

Additional effects and features of the second aspect of the inventionare largely analogous to those described above in connection with thefirst aspect of the invention.

Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention willbecome apparent when studying the appended claims and the followingdescription. The skilled person realize that different features of thepresent invention may be combined to create embodiments other than thosedescribed in the following, without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects of the present invention will now be describedin more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing anexample embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an arrangement according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates features of an arrangement according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates features of an arrangement according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart outlining the general steps of a method accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates features of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating properties of a film manufacturedaccording to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating properties of a film manufacturedaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferredembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scopeof the invention to the skilled person. Like reference characters referto like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an arrangement 100 for manufacturing aroll 102 of graphene. The arrangement comprises a supply reel 104configured to hold a strip 106 of graphene film, a winding reel 108configured to wind the strip 106 of graphene film into a roll 102 ofgraphene film. The winding reel comprises semi-circular winding needles109 for holding the graphene strip and to form a cylindrical grapheneroll. The winding reel 108 is further connected to a motor (not shown)controlling the rotation of the winding reel 108. The arrangementfurther comprises a dispenser 110 configured to dispense a fluidadhesive 112 on the graphene film 106 running from the supply reel 104to the winding reel 108.

The dispenser 110 is here illustrated as a dispenser wheel 114comprising a plurality of protrusions formed as vanes 116. The resultingdispenser wheel 114 can also be referred to as an impeller. A portion ofthe dispenser wheel 114 is located in a container 117 containing theadhesive 112. It should be noted that other types of dispensing systemsalso may be used to provide an adhesive on the graphene strip 106. Theadhesive may for example be spray coated or spread onto the strip.Accordingly, a dispenser may be arranged and configured in manydifferent ways.

The arrangement 100 of FIG. 1 further comprises a support plate 118which may comprise guiding tracks (not shown) for aligning the graphenefilm 106 with the dispenser 110. The support plate 118 may be tiltableto adjust the inclination of the feeding path and the position of thewinding reel 108 may be correspondingly adjustable in a verticaldirection. Accordingly, if the winding reel 108 is arranged higher thanthe supply reel 104, the path from the supply reel 104 to the windingreel 108 exhibits an upward inclination. Thereby, by controlling thetilt of the support plate 118 and the elevation of the winding reel 108,the tension of the graphene strip 106 can be controlled.

FIG. 1 further illustrates that the arrangement comprises a compressionroller 120 arranged adjacent to the winding reel to compress thegraphene roll. By controlling the pressure of the compression rolleragainst the roll of graphene, the thickness of the layer of adhesive canbe further controlled, where an increased pressure results in a thinnerlayer of adhesive since more of the adhesive will be pressed out of thesides of the roll.

Moreover, FIG. 1 further illustrates that the arrangement 100 comprisesa blade 122 arranged above the support plate 118 and between thedispenser 110 and the winding reel 108. The blade 122 acts to controlthe thickness of the adhesive on the graphene film based on the distancebetween the blade edge and the graphene strip 106. The elevation of theblade 122 is controllable to control the thickness of the adhesive, andthereby the ratio between adhesive and graphene in the final grapheneroll.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a dispenser in the form of a cogwheel200 comprising protruding cogs 202. The cogwheel shaped dispenser wheel200 may be preferable for use with adhesives having a lower viscositysince such an adhesive may not release as easily from a dispenser wheel114 of the impeller vane type.

FIGS. 3A-B schematically illustrate cross sections of winding needles109, 304 used at the center of the winding reel 108. FIG. 3A illustrateswinding needles 109 having a semicircular cross section resulting in acircular graphene roll, and FIG. 3B illustrates winding needles 304having a rectangular cross section resulting in a rectangular grapheneroll. Other shapes are also feasible, such as triangular, diamond andhexagonal cross sections.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart outlining the general steps of a method formanufacturing a graphene film comprising vertically aligned graphene.The method will described with further reference to the arrangement 100illustrated in FIG. 1.

The method comprises providing 400 a strip of horizontally alignedgraphene arranged on a supply reel. In a preprocessing step, filmscomprising horizontally aligned graphene were cut to ribbons which widthdepends on the requirement of application. The ribbons were connectedend to end by an adhesive which is preferably the same as used in thewinding and rolling up process. Next, the connected ribbons of graphenefilms were rolled up to prepare the supply reel 104.

The strip of graphene is arranged 402 between the supply reel 104 andthe winding reel 108 and the graphene strip is subsequently wound 404from the supply reel 104 onto the winding reel 108 forming a grapheneroll while dispensing 406 an adhesive on the strip of graphene betweenthe supply reel and the winding reel.

The rolling speed of the winding wheel 108 can be controlled byadjusting the speed of motor connected with winding needles 109, and anexample maximum speed may be 180 rounds per minute (rpm). This windingprocess is continued until a cylinder with a target diameter was formed.

During the winding process, adhesives 112 are dispensed through theimpeller vane 114 rotating in the adhesive container 117 andtransporting the adhesive 112 onto the graphene strip. With the impellerblades 116 in contact with the moving graphene strip, the wheel 114 canbe described as a driven wheel during the graphene films movement on thesupport plate 118, driven by the winding reel 108.

When the impeller vane 114 rotates, the fluid adhesive 112 in theadhesive container 117 can be fed into the gaps between impeller blades116, and then adhesives move onto the surface of graphene strip from thegaps between the impeller blades 116.

Adhesives can be mono-component or multi-components with diversepolymers, including poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS), poly-methylmeth-acrylate (PMMA), poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA), polyurethane (PU) andepoxy, which depends on the requirement of application, such aselasticity, flexibility and toughness. The multi-component adhesivesformula (volume ratio) includes 1:1 with PDMS and PMMA, 1:1 with PDMSand PVA, 1:1 with PDMS and PU, 1:0.5:0.5 with PDMS, PMMA and PVA etc.

Once the adhesive is dispensed, a roll is formed with a uniform layer ofadhesive between the layers of graphene in the roll, and the grapheneroll is removed 408 from the winding reel 108.

Next, the adhesive is solidified 410. The required temperature and timefor solidification of course depend on the type of adhesives. In thepresent example a temperature between 50 and 200° C. at a time from 2hours to 10 hours may for example be used for a PMMA and silicon basedadhesive.

Finally, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the removed graphene roll 500 is cut412 to form a graphene film 512 having a shape corresponding to thecross section of the graphene roll. The thickness of the film can befrom 50 micrometers and up. The diameter of the roll 500 may for examplebe between 1 and 10 cm.

FIG. 6 is a graph comparing the thermal conductivity of a verticallyaligned graphene film manufactured according to the above describedmethod with the thermal conductivity of commercially available graphitesheets.

FIG. 7 is a graph comparing the thermal diffusivity of a verticallyaligned graphene film manufactured according to the above describedmethod with the thermal conductivity of commercially available graphitesheets.

In both FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the volume ratio between adhesive andgraphite or graphene material is 1:1. As can be seen, the verticallyaligned graphene film displays improved properties as a thermalinterface material. In particular, the thermal conductivity ofvertically aligned graphene films can be between 30 and 1500 W/mK, whichis up to 150 times higher than for traditional TIMs (10 W/mK).

Even though the invention has been described with reference to specificexemplifying embodiments thereof, many different alterations,modifications and the like will become apparent for those skilled in theart. Also, it should be noted that parts of the arrangement may beomitted, interchanged or arranged in various ways, the arrangement yetbeing able to perform the functionality of the present invention.

Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understoodand effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention,from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements orsteps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude aplurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutuallydifferent dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of thesemeasures cannot be used to advantage.

What is claimed is:
 1. An arrangement for manufacturing a roll ofgraphene, the arrangement comprising: a supply reel configured to hold astrip of graphene film; a winding reel configured to wind the strip ofgraphene film into a roll of graphene film; a motor controlling thewinding reel; and a dispenser configured to dispense a fluid adhesive ona graphene film running from the supply reel to the winding reel.
 2. Thearrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a compressionroller arranged adjacent to the winding reel, the compression rollerbeing configured to compress a roll of graphene film on the between thecompression roller and the winding reel.
 3. The arrangement according toclaim 1, further comprising a blade arranged between the dispenser andthe winding reel, the blade being configured to be arranged at apredetermined distance from the graphene film and configured to removeexcessive adhesive from the graphene film.
 4. The arrangement accordingto claim 1, further comprising a support plate configured to support thegraphene film for at least a portion of the distance between the supplyreel and the winding reel.
 5. The arrangement according to claim 4,wherein the support plate is tiltable.
 6. The arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein the dispenser is a dispenser wheel further comprising acontainer supplying an adhesive to the wheel.
 7. The arrangementaccording to claim 6, wherein the dispenser wheel comprises protrusionsin the form of cogs and/or vanes such that a compartment is formedbetween adjacent protrusions.
 8. The arrangement according to claim 7,wherein the vanes have a trapezoidal cross section such that a portionof the vane being located closest to the wheel center is smaller than aportion of the vane being located farthest from the wheel center.
 9. Thearrangement according to claim 6, wherein the dispenser is configured tomake contact with the graphene film and to rotate according to amovement of the graphene film.
 10. The arrangement according to claim 6,further comprising a motor arranged to control a rotation of the wheeldispenser wheel.
 11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein thewinding reel comprises a pair of winding needles configured to hold thegraphene film and to form the center of the graphene roll, wherein eachof the winding needles has a rectangular or semi-circular cross section.12. A method of manufacturing a graphene film comprising verticallyaligned graphene; providing a strip of horizontally aligned graphenearranged on a supply reel; arranging the strip of graphene between thesupply reel and a winding reel; winding the strip of graphene from thesupply reel onto the winding reel, forming a graphene roll; dispensingan adhesive on the strip of graphene between the supply reel and thewinding reel; removing the graphene roll from the winding reel;solidifying the adhesive; and cutting the graphene roll, forming agraphene film having a shape corresponding to the cross section of thegraphene roll.
 13. The method according to claim 12, further comprisingcontrolling a ratio between graphene and adhesive in the graphene roll.14. The method according to claim 13, wherein controlling the ratiobetween graphene and adhesive in the graphene roll comprises controllingthe tension of the strip of graphene between the supply wheel and thewinding reel.
 15. The method according to claim 13, wherein controllingthe ratio between graphene and adhesive in the graphene roll comprisescontrolling the amount of adhesive being dispensed per unit length ofthe graphene strip.